[cgfc] Minutes from Social Lever Group mtg., 7/12

[Traci Barkley]

Copy in folder on bulletin board behind register at store.

Meeting Minutes- Social/Demographics Lever Group
CGFC Strategic Planning
12 July 2005

Present: Traci Barkley, Neesha Noronha, Leah Hartman


Review of Neesha and Jill’s survey project

Neesha conducted interviews of board members and coordinators.  Topics 
included: vision, mission, various roles and responsibilities, 
expectations, operational matters, labor structure, pay.

Jill conducted interviews of members.  Topics included: store hours, 
general member questions, shopping experience, product selection and 
prices, quality of products, service, atmosphere, childcare, ideal 
location, parking, transport, services (current and proposed), gripes, 
importance of status as coop and/or non profit and/or IDF program, 
depiction of coop to others.

Both conducted interviews of workers and coreworkers.  Topics included: 
those listed for members plus worker training, procedures, benefits, 
challenges.

All interviews were audio taped, many were videotaped.

Neesha has summarized the coordinator and board interviews and will 
summarize the worker and coreworker interviews in the near 
future.  Summaries will be sent to Traci via email.  Traci will contact 
Jill for summaries/feedback on the member interviews.

Our group thought info from these interviews will help us identify 
perceived strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats and prioritize 
items to include in the strategic agenda.


Brainstorming on social/demographics topics

Discussed the following:

Need for an updated membership database to identify, keep track of and 
prevent problems with inventory, contact with members, soliciting help, 
refining store operations, improving access and service.

Ergonomics of store need to be improved to improve service, convenience, 
access for handicapped, elderly, kids.

Need for storefront.  (only if we want to attract more members- can we 
support that now?)

Explored pros/cons of opening to the public (nonmembers) and enhancing 
membership priviledges.

The great unknown of who has shopping and/or discount priviledges.  This 
needs to be clarified- IDF program members?  IDF staff?  Church 
members?  CGFC members who attend GMMs?  Who else?

Need to better facilitate LINK and low-income gift certificate service.

Potential competitors (Strawberry Fields, possibility of new health food store)
Potential collaborators (other types of coops, farmers, CSAs, other 
non-profits)

Worker volunteer program needs a clear, updated, succinct manual!!  Also 
explored ideas of nomination or application based hiring for coreworker 
positions.  Work up from worker to coreworker?  Volunteering as priviledge 
not right?

**For most of the issues we discussed, it was obvious that these issues 
need to be explored in two frameworks: 1) with the co-op as is with purpose 
of improving and stabilizing and 2) expanded coop in different location 
with purpose of improving, growing, developing.  Every future discussion 
will explore each topics in each scenario.  Traci will check in with other 
lever group facilitators and see if they concur.  Could further refine 
reporting format to larger planning group.


NEXT MEETING: Thursday, July 21 at 7p at Café Kopi

*Additional involvement is welcome- consider joining us at the next meeting!

**Neesha moving away, will not be participating in rest of strategic 
planning.  Bobbi Trist will join group at next meeting.








~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Traci L. Barkley
University of Illinois
Program in Ecology and Environmental Biology
Office address: 121 Natural Resources Annex
Mailing address: 172 Natural Resources Building, MC-652
Champaign, Illinois 61820
217.244.5052 (office)
217.621.3013 (cell)
tbarkley at uiuc.edu
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Be the change you want to see in the world."
                                    -Gandhi
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